Page 102 of Boss

Kassidy’s breaths quickened and her cheeks became warm. With renewed humiliation and regret, she was forced to look away. She had no comeback, no excuse, and no explanation for what she hoped she would accomplish now. Reese was right. She never once grasped the gravity of her actions until Tarek marched toward her in the snow and blew it all to hell.

“Someone out there wants Tarek dead and me too. That’s my reality now, Reese. And trust me I know it. Though it kills me to say this, I need your help.”

Reese put a hand to her forehead. She paced back and forth. “We need a plan”, Reese said almost to herself. “One that gets you free and clear of all of this mess and the only way I can see that happening is if you tell me what else you got on the Marshalls. What is this organized crime stuff about?”

“I can’t think right now...” Kassidy sighed.

“You fucking better think! Think damn it!”

“Reese, please. Give me a few days to recover.”

“Fine we do it your way for now. You stay here. You don’t talk to anyone. I’m going to negotiate this. But we need an ally. I’ll meet with Dale. You better have something to bargain with”, she said “I dunno did you take something else Kassidy? Anything, maybe something that you didn’t tell the police about?” Reese’s gaze locked on hers again.

“I told you what I took,” Kassidy said. “It was just contracts and accounting reports for the funding of the offshore project. That’s it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why does it matter? Tarek knows what I took. So do the Marshalls by now. Like you said, they have more evidence on me than I do them.”

“Of course it matters, Kassidy. Be smart. What did you send through email? Did you send it on the company server?”

“Reese, I told you there’s nothing!”

“Thumb drives. What did you put information on thumb drives?” Reese asked.

Kassidy went still. For a brief moment she couldn’t speak. And when she found her voice she fought to keep her anger out of it. “No. I didn’t use thumb drives.”

“Did you take one?” Reese asked.

“No,” Kassidy answered. “We didn’t work like that. I met with Daniel and gave him files and original documents with signatures. I didn’t want anything traced to me. So I didn’t do it on the company computer or my personal one.”

Reese stared at her, and for a moment Kassidy feared she wouldn’t believe her. Then her former boss gave her a small smile. “We’re in this together. I just want to find a way to leverage something they may have forgotten to get us out of this nightmare. That’s all.” And then Reese’s cell phone rang. Reese went over to it and picked it up. Her brows lowered with concern. She stared at the call but spoke to Kassidy. “It’s Billy. Probably saw the news report and wants to know what happened. Be right back,” she said and left out of the front door.

Kassidy sat upright. She limped over to the side windowpane near the door. Reese had walked away from the front step and on to the sidewalk. She talked to the person on the phone with her hand to her head. One of the men in the dark SUV got out of the truck. Reese pointed at the man and shouted something. He turned and got back in the truck. Reese continued with her conversation on the phone. The men acted like they were working for her. It unnerved Kassidy. Having seen enough, Kassidy went back to the sofa to wait for her. This time she kept the gun on her lap.

The door opened. Reese smiled. “Sorry about that. Look will you be okay? I need to run out for just a bit.”

“Is something wrong with Dale?” Kassidy probed.

“I'm not conspiring with Dale. I got a call from my mom. Need to pick her up. The security guys out front will stay. You need anything, send one of them to do it, and let the other in.”

“In my house! Hell, no,” Kassidy said.

“It’s for your own protection. They’re from the same company that they use at the work. Like you said, someone tried to kill you. And yes I know you have that gun, but I suspect you never fired that thing.”

“You're wrong. And I don’t need them or you to protect me. Worry about yourself, Reese.”

“Trust me, I am.” Reese pulled her purse strap up over her shoulder. “I’ll call you and check in, bring some groceries for you.”

“Don’t bother. I plan to sleep,” she said. “I won’t be answering the phone.”

“That’s a good idea. Right now your name isn’t in the press, but you know how the media can be. It’s only a matter of time before they link you.” Reese winked. “So be careful. Lock the door and wait for my call,” she said before she left. Kassidy waited until she heard the car and truck start outside of her townhome. The security team let Reese drive out and then re-parked in front of her place. She got up from the sofa and went to the door. She locked it and made sure the deadbolt was in place. When her phone rang she ignored it. Kassidy limped into the kitchen and opened the cabinets under the sink. She dug in the back of it. Her fingers grasped the top cap of a bottle of liquid Drano. It was empty except for one thing. She unscrewed the top and dumped out the thumb drive. She sat on the kitchen floor and stared at it.

48.

“What are you doing?” Kassidy chuckled.

“If I have to tell you then I’m doing it wrong,” he flicked his tongue into her ear and eased his hand down further. Like the sexy, adorable woman she was, she teased him by keeping her thighs tightly shut. “Am I doing it wrong?” he whispered this time in her ear.

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